Short Synopsis
How best to save the world—as saint or soldier? The answer for Eric Greitens is "both," as evidenced by this moving memoir.

Full Synopsis
Like many young idealists, Eric Greitens wanted to make a difference. During college and afterward, he traveled to the world's trouble spots, working in refugee camps, serving the sick and the poor on four continents, from Gaza to Croatia to Mother Teresa's home in Calcutta, among others. Yet he could not prevent violence or save anyone from becoming a refugee; he could only step in afterward and try to ease the damage.

So Eric joined the Navy SEALs and became an elite warrior. In a moving and inspiring memoir, told with genuine humility, Eric offers something new in the history of military memoirs: a warrior who wanted to be strong to be good, only to discover that he had to be good to be strong. Throughout his SEAL training and deployments in Kenya, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the lessons of his humanitarian work bore fruit. The result is a lesson for us all: the heart and fist together are more powerful than either one alone.

"Greitens . . . narrates his work in an earnest manner that captures his idealistic and humanitarian vision." ---AudioFile

"A remarkable story told with modesty and grace." ---Kirkus

"This modest, compelling autobiography addresses the question of whether virtue can prevail unless it has armed defenders.... The story of a useful man." ---Booklist

"This tale of [Greitens's] dual military/humanitarian effort could be paired with Rye Barcott's It Happened on the Way to War." ---Library Journal

"If you're in despair about America's future, meet my hero---Eric Greitens. His life and this book reminds us that America remains the land of the brave and generous. The heart and fist are just the combination we need." ---Tom Brokaw

"Eric Greitens is the best of the best.... What a story! It should inspire us all to live our lives with purpose and meaning." ---Max Cleland, former U.S. Senator

"A man wise enough to lead, courageous enough to fight, and compassionate enough to care, he has written a glorious book about how to live with purpose that should be required reading for every American." ---Bobby Muller, Founder of Vietnam Veterans for America

"A glorious tale of humanity, resolve, and strength, Greitens's book reminds us of how many things we take for granted in our well-ordered lives." ---Publishers Weekly

New York Times Bestseller